What's On

• Upcoming events

What's New

• An important conversation: How to be safe on farms
• eLearning with Agriculture Victoria

BestWool/BestLamb

• Woolpoll 2021
• Calling all sheep producers: Numnuts on farm trial

BetterBeef

• Technote: Ag tech what you need to know
• Beef Sheep Resources

Beef and Sheep News

• BestWool/ BestLamb and BetterBeef Networks Getting Bigger and Better
• Myth Buster Questions Answered
• Soil Moisture Pasture Production

Ag Recovery

• Recovery After Fire: Practical Steps for Farmers
• Supporting landholders impacted by fires and floods across Victoria
• Financial and business support
• Regional weather and climate guides
• Recovery After Storms and Floods: Support for Primary Producers

Quick Links

• Links to Feeding Livestock website, AWI, MLA, The Fast Break, Rural Financial Counselling Service and more

PLEASE NOTE: The events listed below may be subject to last minute cancellation in the event of an emergency or advice from Victoria’s Chief Health Officer.

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Farmers are great at looking after their livestock or produce, land, and machinery, but often put their own health and safety at risk.

People working in agriculture make up about 14 per cent of workplace fatalities, despite the industry only employing about two per cent of Victoria’s workforce. 

Farms are homes where we live but they are also workplaces; so now is the time to prioritise safety for yourself, your family and employees, plus visitors to your farm.  

Starting a safety conversation is about having honest conversations about safety and recognising that putting safety first is good for business. 

Farm safety is more than making sure the gate is shut, or putting on a seatbelt, it’s about building trust and developing a culture where everyone on the farm, including employees and family, feel confident to ask questions and raise concerns.

A good place to start is with a farm safety plan that can focus on topics like a safety induction, farm rules, safety policies and safe work procedures. Developing a plan will reduce risk and help secure the future of your farm business.  

There is support available to help you build a plan and consider what you and your farm business need. The Victorian Farmers Federation’s Making Our Farms Safer advisors can provide free occupational health and safety advice including developing a safety plan for your farm.  

The farm safety advisors have a broad range of experience and provide free and confidential advice to Victorian farmers to improve safety in the most practical way. Advisors can help create a safety plan and provide resources and safety policies that are suited to the needs of your business. 

For more information visit the Victorian Farmers Federation website: Making our Farms Safer or contact an advisor directly – John Darcy 0432 156 223 or Richard Versteegen 0499 772 472. Making our Farms Safer is also on Facebook and Twitter.

The Making our Farms Safer project for all Victorian farmers is being delivered by the Victorian Farmers Federation. The project is funded through Smarter, Safer Farms, a $20 million Victorian Government commitment to improve safety and skills outcomes for Victorian farmers.

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A selection of online courses that can be undertaken at your own pace, at any time and from anywhere with an internet connection.

The Victorian Government understands that life can get busy and it isn’t always possible to attend courses in person.

eLearning provides an accessible and flexible option for learning and expanding your knowledge.

It enables you to enhance your skills without having to attend an event or workshop in person which could be a significant distance from home, or difficult to complete due to time constraints.

To access courses, you will need to create an account.

This will allow you full access to the courses and it will track your progress as you move through them.

Browse the range of courses that can be undertaken at your own pace, at any time and from anywhere with an internet connection.

This week’s eLearn in profile is: How to read the Fast Break table

The Fast Break table has been produced since 2008 and summarises weather forecast predictions from 12 different models for the next one to three and four to six-month period.
We understand that the table can be a little confusing, so we hope this online course will assist.

Topics include:

• How to navigate this eLearn and The Fast Break table
• The three different types of models in The Fast Break table
• The 12 different models compared in The Fast Break table
• What we mean by model run
• Understanding the forecast months
• Where to find the skill of the model
• What is happening in the Pacific Ocean
• What is happening in the Indian Ocean
• Rainfall predictions
• Temperature predictions
• What further information about the models is provided in The Fast Break table?

View the How to read the Fast Break table online course via the Agriculture Victoria website.

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Australian woolgrowers of any description – from dedicated Merino wool producers to mixed farmers running crossbreed sheep – are being called upon to have their say on the direction of the wool industry by voting in WoolPoll 2021.

Held every three years, WoolPoll is a voluntary vote of all wool levy payers through which the industry decides on its levy rate for investment in research, development and marketing activities, which are conducted by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI).

Chair of the independent WoolPoll 2021 Panel Steven Bolt, a mixed farmer based at Corrigin, Western Australia, encouraged all wool growers to start considering their preferred levy rate now, ahead of the voting period opening on Monday 13 September.

“This year’s WoolPoll comes at an interesting time for the Australian sheep industry as we emerge from drought in large parts of the country and as we look to rebuild the national flock,” he said.

“We have also seen how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted supply and demand for wool globally."

“Given this context, it is important for all woolgrowers – not just Merino wool producers – to sit down with the people they farm with to discuss WoolPoll, and to start a conversation with their peers about what they want to invest in R&D and marketing for wool through AWI.”

Voting for WoolPoll 2021 opens on Monday 13 September and closes on Friday 5 November.

More information about WoolPoll 2021 and the voting process can be found on the WoolPoll website.

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Sheep producers are being sought for an extended commercial on farm trial of the Numnuts lamb marking system across five states.

Participating producers will be paid $1000 and be expected to purchase a Numnuts tool and NumOcaine anaesthetic, unless otherwise available.

CSIRO senior technical officer Jim Lea said about 40 producers have already signed up, but another 20 are being sought. The producers will be asked to compare the behaviour of lambs after marking, either with or without Numnuts treatment.

The CSIRO-run project is being sponsored by Meat & Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation, which have tested and validated a targeted pain relief system for farmers to use when tail docking and castrating their lambs using the ring method.

See the CSIRO website for more details about the trial or for more information about managing pain relief.

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Chris Blore, Hamilton

So, you're thinking of getting into ag tech, but where do you start? Often one of the starting points is the price – how much will this cost me upfront, and what's the ongoing cost, or how much will this save me? While they are fundamental questions and will impact your decision to invest or not, this article covers six things to consider, to help you make a more informed decision and get the most out of your ag tech. 

Read the full article online.

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The beef sheep resources web page hosts media produced by Agriculture Victoria’s BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef networks. It provides resources relevant to beef and sheep producers and service providers.

The Beef Sheep Resources page contains a range of seasonal resources/articles, such as:

• Controlling worms in beef cattle
• The role of fibre in the sheep diet
• Quality hay and how to get it
• Getting the best from our legume pastures.

Visit the Beef Sheep Resources page on the Agriculture Victoria website to access these resources and more.

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Agriculture Victoria has co-invested with the Meat and Livestock Australia Donor Company (MDC) to deliver a new project  Innovative Sheep and Beef Networks. This four year project will use our highly successful Best Wool Best Lamb and Better Beef Networks to create a more innovative, productive and profitable Victorian livestock industry.

There are three key outcome areas for the project;

• The current service offer of the Networks will be reviewed to identify innovative ways to engage and interact with our network members and extend its connections with industry.
• Using the ‘measure to manage’ approach, network members will be assisted in benchmarking their current livestock enterprise and business performance, to then develop and implement a plan for improvement using tools and resources available to build their knowledge and skills.
• Support professional development opportunities for livestock consultants and contractors.

Kirstie Anderson and Rachel Coombes from Agriculture Victoria will be leading the projects connection to livestock groups and networks in Victoria.

Kirstie previously managed the recent MDC EID enabled project, has a strong livestock and technology background and is based at Benalla in the North East.

Rachel has a mixed farming background, most recently working with the St Arnaud BWBL To Wean or Not to Wean producer demonstration site. She will be relocating from Swan Hill to the Ararat office in the South West.

We will keep you up to date with the project activities regularly with articles here in the Newsflash.

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In our second LiveFeed Seasonal webinar on ‘Calcium and Magnesium nutrition of spring lambing ewes’ we asked our guest scientist Dr Shawn McGrath from Charles Sturt University to answer this question:

'Do livestock self-medicate – or find what they need if available?'

To find out how he answered (in under five minutes) watch the latest Myth Buster video.

If you are interested in listening to the recording of the webinar on calcium and magnesium nutrition, email Jane Court.

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In the last year of a MLA funded Producer Demonstration Site, using soil moisture to predict spring pasture growth, we will be providing monthly snippets of pasture prediction and actual growth for selected sites.

These sites are paddocks with soil moisture probes, which are used in conjunction with local climate data to estimate pasture production ahead. The sites are in central Victoria (Baynton) and in south west Victoria (Harrow; Nareen and Dartmoor).

If you are interested in receiving an email or SMS on any of these (September to November) provide details to Jane Court by email.

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An updated recovery guide is now available to help farmers rebuild and provide a one-stop reference to the support available. The guide includes steps to take immediately after the fire and for short-term recovery and longer-term rebuilding. It covers re-fencing, dealing with erosion and flooding, pasture recovery, pest and weed control and preparing for the next season.

The printed booklet is available from Agriculture Victoria, by contacting our Agriculture Recovery Managers (details noted below) or the Customer Services Centre on 136 186 or digital version online.

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The Victorian and Commonwealth governments are supporting landholders impacted by fires and floods across Victoria.

For more information on bushfire recovery or recovery from floods/storm event, visit the Agriculture Victoria website or contact:

Bushfire Recovery Victoria – 1800 560 760 vic.gov.au/bushfire-recovery-victoria

Regional Agriculture Victoria Recovery Managers:

• North East – Kylie Macreadie on 0428 975 728
• Gippsland – Darren Hickey on 0457 609 140

For more information on bushfire recovery, contact Agriculture Victoria on 136 186 or see agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/emergency-management/bushfires

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Rural Financial Counselling Service

The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) have an experienced team ready to assist primary producers and small rural business in recovery planning. Financial counsellors can help develop financial forecasts and business plans required for lenders or investors, plus connect with support agencies and services. RFCS provides free financial counselling to farmers and small related businesses who are in, or at risk of, financial hardship. They can also assist with filling in forms and grant applications. For more information or to book an appointment call RFCS Gippsland on 1300 045 747 or RFCS North East on 1300 834 775

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The Regional Weather and Climate Guides project is part of the Commonwealth Government Drought Assistance Package. The project aims to improve the resilience of farming businesses by providing localised facts about the likelihood, severity, and duration of key weather variables in regions across the country.

The weather and climate information will be delivered through a set of guides corresponding to Australia's Natural Resource Management regions. The project is a collaboration between the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO, and FarmLink Research. The guides have been developed in collaboration with representatives from each NRM region to ensure the information is tailored to the needs of local farmers and agribusinesses.

For more information visit the Bureau of Meteorology.

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Agriculture Victoria’s Ag Recovery Team can provide support to producers following the June storms and floods across Victoria.

There is Agriculture Recovery support available in each of the regions affected including Central and southwest Gippsland, Central Highlands, Macedon Ranges and Yarra Valley and surrounds, to provide support with issues in livestock, dairy, cropping, irrigation and horticulture.

Agriculture Victoria can offer technical advice on:

• Pasture recovery and grazing management
• Soil erosion management
• Animal health, nutrition and feed budgeting
• Whole farm planning
• Water quality, budgeting
• Farm water reticulation and dam management
• Farm business planning.

Producers and growers are encouraged to contact the Agriculture Victoria Ag Recovery Team on 0427 694 185 or at http://recovery@agriculture.vic.gov.au or visit agriculture.vic.gov.au.

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Visit Agriculture Victoria’s website for the latest information and resources relating to livestock and animals.

Agriculture Victoria is delivering workshops, farm walks and information sessions online. Virtual events might include webinars, teleconferences or livestreams. Visit Agriculture Victoria events for a comprehensive list of upcoming activities.

The RFCS provides free financial counselling to farmers and small related businesses who are in, or at risk of, financial hardship. Counsellors can also assist applicants to apply for the Farm Household Allowance (FHA).

For more information visit the RFCS or call the national toll free number on 1300 045 747 (select option four for Victoria).

The National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) provides health and safety education and advice to farmers and their families via the Online Ag Health program. 

For more information visit the National Centre for Farmer Health or contact Cecilia Fitzgerald on (03) 5551 8533

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